Forging a Better Future: Year One
by STARCRUSHER99
Summary: Oliver assumed that his death would be the final moment. However, his death was only the beginning. Given a second chance to start over in a different Earth, Oliver believes that he can make a previously hard time of his life easier. But when he discovers that he is not the only one given this new chance, the stage is set for a battle years in the making.
1. Second Chance

**A/N** : So this story is adopted from Arlyss Maligue, so if you see similarities between the two stories, that's why. I'm going to try to honor his original plan as much as I can, so the beginning won't be that different. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed it. This first chapter is a direct copy and paste just to get it out there, but the chapters after it will be my work.

* * *

Oliver Queen opened his eyes and sat up with a start, his last memory that of being shot by someone he thought he could trust. Blinking, he looked around, and frowned in consternation. There were no recognizable shapes or even people. There was nothing but a blank, white space, and as he stood, he noted that there was not a scrap of clothing on him. As this thought came into him, a suit not unlike those he wore as Mayor of Star City came into being, fitting snugly to his person. As he checked around, he saw that more defined shapes and features were being molded into the world around him, and soon, he found himself in an ethereal version of his bedroom at the Queen Mansion.

A polite cough drew his attention, and he turned to face the person responsible. "Who are you?" Oliver asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Just call me Messenger," the man said with a shrug. "It's what I am. No, this isn't Heaven, or Hell; its an in-between place. Some might call it-"

"Do not even think the word Purgatory," Oliver warned, causing the man's mouth to snap shut. "Now, why am I here? Do I have to wait before I get sent on?"

"No, what we have here is a unique opportunity of sorts," Messenger said. "You know now there are 53 Earths in the multiverse. What you don't know is that each Earth has variations to it to account for the decisions of every person who has lived or will ever live. Infinite variations of each Earth play out. As someone who has spent all his life, in one way or another, on top of a mystical convergence with barely a break away from them, you have been 'soaked' in mystical energies. This offers you the opportunity to take the place of any Oliver Queen who died due to his own actions or the actions of others."

Oliver blinked at the information download but nodded to show he understood. He mused that he should rightfully be freaking out here, but then again, after the insanity of his life, this sort of thing almost seemed par for the course. That, or he had finally snapped after everything and this was his mind's way of dealing with it all. "I'm assuming there are some variations that are very different from the world I was in?"

"In some ways, yes," Messenger replied. "There are some variations where your mother is completely onboard with the Undertaking. Others where your father never went on the Gambit but you still did in an attempt to be a better man. . . There are infinite variations, Mr. Queen."

Oliver's mind had somewhat ground to a halt at the idea that there were worlds where his father was still alive. "Would I be getting an 'information download' on the world I chose?" he asked.

"Yes, if only because it would be a bad idea for you to go in blind," Messenger replied.

"Is there a world where my parents are both alive but I still had most of what happened to be still happen?" Oliver asked. "I wouldn't want to reference something that didn't happen."

"Let's see. . ." Messenger said, his eyes going white. "Yes, here we go. Your parents are not willing participants in the Undertaking; Merlyn used your death against them and threatened the same to your sister. You died of poisoning by an agent of Kovar the night before you went to Lian Yu to stage your rescue."

"So I would take the place of the poisoned Oliver Queen in that variation?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," Messenger replied. "Oh, there is one other thing you need to know about this one: Laurel Lance was pregnant when you 'died' and you have a four year old daughter, Olivia."

Oliver considered whether he was ready for that kind of commitment. He had already begun to realize that he had 'settled' for Felicity because he had never thought he was worthy of Laurel, and he had always regretted not letting her know the truth on her deathbed, that she was the love of his life and always would be, even though he was unworthy of her. But life with Felicity as his wife had become. . . static. Anytime they had come up against a technological foe, she had basically insulted his intelligence and his ability to combat the enemy, and he had just taken it. No one had ever said anything, even Thea. . . well, Sara had the one time she was around, but by then, everyone was used to it, including Oliver himself. Unsurprisingly, after that, it was rare that Sara or her team popped up beyond those times they were needed (like with the Dominators and the Earth-Xers).

Maybe the possibility of having a daughter would be what galvanized him to take this new life by the horns. Oliver finally nodded and said, "Alright, that sounds like a good fit. Did that Oliver know about Laurel and Olivia?"

"No, he never found out," Messenger said. "Are you ready to begin your new life, Mr. Queen?"

* * *

Oliver blinked away the emptiness of 'death' and remained laid out on his back for a moment, his mind assimilating the information on this new world.

Sara had not gone on the Gambit with him, but remained in Starling with everyone else. That was good; he didn't have to worry about that stupid choice of his fouling things up with the Lances. He was already going to have to deal with a lot when it came to his own family, even though he was happy with the idea of having his father still alive. Of course, in this variation, he didn't have the List (yet), just the message from his father, so that would make for an interesting twist on things.

One of the differences in this variation was while he had worked against Shadowspire, they had been a Neo-Nazi group instead of just a mercenary band after the idol; Oliver had to admit that, considering Adolf Hitler's obsession with the occult, it would make sense for a radical group of Neo-Nazis to have that same obsession. He had also not gone to Starling City at any point, having made use of a fake half of the Alpha-Omega to get him and Maseo to Tatsu; he wondered why he hadn't thought of that option in his own universe. That, at least, explained why he wouldn't have known about Olivia in this universe.

Oliver pulled himself into a sitting position. First things first; he needed to expose the Kovar agent to Anatoli, and then inform his friend that there was a change of plans. He wasn't going to Lian Yu after all; one of the upsides to changing universes was that he now knew that the Red Death had been affecting him all the way through the destruction of Lian Yu; the island had become a 'beacon' for the Red Death and seeing it destroyed had snapped its hold on him. But if he went to Lian Yu here, he might end up with that serum in his system again, which had been the main thing that kept him from looking at things from every angle. If he had had that, so much could've been prevented, including Roy having to fake his death, Laurel's death at the hands of Damien Darhk, not realizing that Prometheus was just the tool of a far more cunning, wily adversary in the form of Talia al Ghul; so many problems that could have been avoided with a clear head.


	2. Reunions

Even without any reason, Oliver was still nervous as he approached Laurel's door. Despite the different circumstances, he still vividly remembered the way she reacted the first time he returned.

 _"I'm sorry too. I'd hoped you'd rot in hell a whole lot longer than five years."_

Hopefully, without Sara to hate him for, her reaction would be the good reaction he had desperately hoped for before.

Even if he couldn't help but remember all the times Laurel was attacked in this apartment.

Seriously, from the Chinese Triad to Mr. Blank, the amount of time Laurel's apartment was invaded was more than enough cause for a move. As much as Detective Lance needed an attitude change during his first year back, maybe he was right about at least that.

At this point, standing in front of the door ready to knock, there was nothing to hold him back anymore. No excuses he could use to delay this any longer. After waiting a full day to inform the Lances he was back the first time, maybe this could be some form of apology.

He took a deep breath and did the hardest thing he'd ever had to deal with since Adrian Chase: he knocked on Laurel's door.

Whatever conversation was happening on the other side died down immediately. He could feel the tension in the air as though Damien Darhk was choking him again, but all that changed when the door opened and she met his eyes.

 _Laurel_.

She was everything he remembered her to be.

As he looked into her eyes that were daring to hope what she was seeing was true, he took in everything about her. Every little detail from the way her hair fell to how deep he could stare into her eyes, he re-memorized everything.

No matter what he had thought he would have been able to say, when the moment of truth finally arrived all he could say was a measly "Hello, Laurel".

As if she had finally realized that he was real, she threw herself into his arms as tight as she could. Oliver hugged her back with just as much force, relishing in the fact that she was here, alive, in his arms.

As much as he wanted to keep her there forever, though, another voice he recognized called out from the house. It was a voice that he hadn't expected to hear yet, but the fact that he was hearing it at all was amazing.

"Woah, Laur, who are you so excited to see?"

When Tommy Merlyn walked around the corner with two drinks in his hand, Oliver looked up and made eye contact with him. For only a split second, he saw Tommy of Earth-X, wearing the Prometheus suit, but he shook that thought away. The guilt he felt seeing Tommy die all over again didn't matter anymore. Not when the real one was here.

Tommy dropped the drinks he was holding when he saw who Laurel was hugging and ran faster than Oliver had ever seen before to join in the hug. Laurel chuckled a little bit in his shoulder, but Oliver full on laughed. In that moment, he couldn't help but remember what Tommy said to him when they reunited the first time.

"You were right, Tommy. Yachts suck."

Tommy flinched, but it was so minor that Oliver didn't even realize.

Laurel made to pull back, but Tommy being there meant she could only lift her head. "How are you here? How?"

Oliver looked her in the eyes. It was a look Tommy recognized enough to let go. Now, he had the chance to do what he wanted to do the first time. "There's something I always needed that made me stay alive", he said, not even hesitating to bring his lips to hers.

Laurel reciprocated almost immediately, getting lost in their own little world where no one existed except for her and Oliver. For both of them, it was a dream they had given up on a long time ago. Unfortunately, in her haste, she forgot that Tommy was not her only guest that night.

"Laurel? What's going on?"

The last person that Oliver expected to see that night came out the door and stopped in his tracks when he saw that Laurel was kissing someone. The shock only amplified when he saw who it was.

"Queen?", Detective Lance asked, looking at the former playboy in shock. Of all the people he expected to see at his daughter's door, that was the least likely one.

Oliver blinked his eyes as he broke away from Laurel, meeting the detective's eyes. For a split second, he had a flashback not unlike the ones from his nightmares.

 _Oliver crouched on top of Quentin as they hid behind the Mayor's desk, gunfire raging over them. Diggle and Wild Dog were shooting back at the attackers as he checked Lance's pulse, finding nothing._

Oliver tried his best to force himself out of that flash without moving, but it was difficult. Especially because that was something that hadn't actually happened yet, so why was he seeing it?

Laurel gave her father a look that he instantly recognized as her " _don't say what I think you're gonna say_ " look, but the detective only put his hands up in surrender. He even gave a chuckle. "Laurel, you can relax. I'm just surprised he's here. Also, since when are you alive?"

Oliver gave his own chuckle in return. If he was being honest, there was something reassuring in the fact that Lance didn't actually hate him, even if he knew that this universe's Lance had no reason to. "Have been for the past five years. Didn't even have a volleyball."

Despite the circumstance, everyone in the hallway couldn't help but chuckle even as Oliver had another memory.

 _I'm trapped on an island and my only friend is named Wilson._

Laurel finally invited him in to get them out of the crowded doorway, but Tommy suddenly looked at his watch. "Aw, crap. I gotta go or my dad will have my head."

The Lances gave Tommy a look that Oliver's paranoia screamed wasn't just a goodbye look, but he ignored it. He couldn't ignore it when Lance gave him a firm handshake and said "take care of yourself, Merlyn." Apparently, Lance was a very different person here: the old Lance would have never done even that with Tommy Merlyn, billionaire playboy.

Tommy even smiled back, a genuine smile that he normally saved for the Queens and Laurel, and said "you too, sir." He gave Laurel another hug and gave Oliver a long look, like he was just now realizing that he was actually there. Tommy opened his arms, and Oliver laughed a loud laugh and grabbed him in a strong hug. Their hug didn't last long, but when they looked at each other's eyes, Tommy's look of _I'm glad your back_ was obvious.

"Don't tell Thea or my parents that I'm back, okay?" Oliver asked. "I want to tell them myself tomorrow."

Tommy chuckled. "Sure, I won't tell them. But, if you tell Speedy without me being there, I might kill you. I need to see the look on her face."

Oliver chuckled, imagining the face she'll make without any warning. He nodded, and with one last look, Tommy left. Oliver couldn't help but watch him leave, fully registering the fact that his best friend was alive and well.

Laurel gave him another look, but this one was one of nervousness and doubt, not love like before. Oliver assumed that this was about Olivia, but he wasn't supposed to know that, so he acted oblivious. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face, cause I haven't seen a razor in a while."

Laurel laughed, and it was as though the doubt she had disappeared. His humor caught her off guard, for sure, and that had been exactly what he was hoping for. Laurel finally let him in, and even if he thought he was prepared for what was inside, nothing could have truly prepared him for what he saw.

The baby girl that Lance was holding in his arms was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined, and any restraint he had from seeing Laurel and Tommy broke.

The girl, Olivia, had her brown hair but his blue eyes. Her smile from when he first entered to his confused face when she saw they had a visitor. His stern expression, but her mirthful gaze as they locked eyes. Seeing the perfect mixture of him and her in this perfect being brought mist to his eyes.

Barely remembering that he wasn't supposed to know of her existence, he turned to Laurel, who was making a show of looking anywhere else. "Laurel... is that..."

He couldn't even finish his sentence.

Laurel took a deep breath, the same deep breath she always took to steel her resolve, and looked him in the eyes. "That's Olivia. She's your daughter, Oliver."

Hearing the names next to each other made him realize the similarity, and he couldn't help but lighten the mood. "What an original name. I would have never come up with that."

Lance, who had made the connection long ago, laughed quietly. Unfortunately, Laurel was too scared to fall for his humor this time. "Ollie, I know you never wanted..."

Oliver had cut her off with a finger on her lips. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence, Laurel. The thought of getting home to you kept me alive the past five years because I wanted to have whatever future we could have had before I left. If that future has this beautiful little girl in it, then it's all I've ever wanted."

His quick acceptance earned him a single tear from Laurel. She quickly embraced him as though he would vanish if she let him go and cried once more into his chest, but this time Oliver could tell the difference between her sad crying from before and her happy crying now. Looking up for only one second earned him a nod of approval from Lance and a confused look from Olivia.

Finally, Olivia was too confused to stay silent. "Mommy, who's that?"

Hearing his daughter's voice for the first time, sounding almost exactly like Laurel sounded like when she was younger, finally broke his exterior and made him shed a tear. Laurel let go of his chest to look at her daughter. Without any words, Lance handed her Olivia. "Liv, this is your daddy. The one Uncle Tommy and I told you about."

She only got more confused. "But you said daddy went on a boat and wouldn't come back."

Laurel only chuckled instead. "That's what I thought. But he was just lost, not gone."

Oliver gave Laurel a look that she immediately understood. Using his hand to steer Olivia's face towards him, Oliver told her exactly what he intended from the start. "I'm sorry I wasn't here before, Liv." He had caught the nickname earlier and wasn't sure what else she was comfortable with. "But I'm here now. And I will do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness for leaving you."

There was a tense silence since no one knew how Olivia would react, but they all hoped that she would at least accept his presence. They all breathed a sigh of relief when she gave a timid smile and whispered "okay". Oliver in particular felt as though a weight he didn't even know was there was lifted off his shoulders.

Lance, unfortunately, had to call it a night. "Well, I'd love to stay and see how this goes, but Merlyn's not the only one with a demanding boss. Gotta get to work early in the morning."

Olivia started fidgeting after he said that, so Laurel gave her to him to say goodbye. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in a grip that looked crushing to everyone else. Oliver couldn't hear anything except the word 'grandpa', but the way Lance's eyes misted over showed how much he cared for the little one in his arms.

Lance finally gave Laurel a hug and a kiss on the cheek before holding his hand for Oliver to shake. He gave it one firm shake before leaving the apartment. Oliver couldn't help but chuckle. "What happened to the man who threatened to tase me the last time I came over?"

She chuckled again, still caught off guard with how much he was joking around. Then, Oliver had a realization that showcased a difference between his world and this one. "Wait, Lance said 'boss', but Tommy said 'Dad'. Does Tommy work for his father?"

Laurel chuckled a bit as she put Olivia in one of the chairs, but Oliver could clearly hear the strain in it. "Yeah. He got in a car accident four years ago while he was drunk. He almost died." Oliver gave a small gasp. That never happened the first time. "When he recovered, he realized, and this is a quote, "If I'm ever gonna go out, it's gonna be as a better person."

Oliver was briefly forced into a flash of Tommy's death as he died a hero the night of the Undertaking. In the confusion, he made a mistake. "Even when things change, some things don't."

Laurel looked over in shock and confusion. Her next sentence was tentative. "Oliver, what does that mean?"

Finally catching onto his mistake, he tried to run damage control. "Nothing, just that Tommy was never really bad, he just needed a push."

In any other situation, he might have gotten away with it, but this was Laurel, one of the only people who could read him like an open book. "Oliver, I'm gonna say something, and I want you to tell me when I said it before."

Still trying to salvage the situation, he went for humor again. "Trying to test my memory Laurel? My head hasn't really been the same the past couple years."

She was unamused. "I'm being serious, Ollie." The nickname finally made him play along. He schooled his features to a serious face. "Good. Now. 'I'm sorry too. I'd hoped you'd rot in hell a whole lot longer than five years'."

Pure shock. There had only been one time he had heard that before.

"The first time I came back."

Oliver looked into Laurel's eyes and suddenly made a few connections. Why she had so eagerly welcomed him back. Why this universe's Tommy had been in a car accident that never happened the first time and had flinched when he said 'yachts suck'. What Laurel was going to say about him never wanting kids.

They had lived it all before.

Oliver grabbed the sides of her face. "Laurel, are you saying..."

She smiled again, the first full smile she'd smiled all night. "I hope you kept your promise about me being the last Black Canary."

This was her. This was _his Laurel._

They hugged each other again, but this time it wasn't out of desperation. It was acceptance for the fact that the two of them had somehow managed to find each other again, even after death.


	3. Reminiscing

**A/N:** **I'm just gonna apologize now for the lack of Oliver and Laurel, but this is an exposition chapter from Tommy's perspective. This is a brief explanation of everything that happened in between Tommy and Laurel arriving on this Earth and Oliver coming home. It's very different than canon.**

 **Some scenes will be done in more detail in flashbacks, but the majority of this will be left as is.**

 **Oh yeah, in case it wasn't made clear, Tommy is also the Earth-1 Tommy like Laurel.**

* * *

The reunion had been everything Tommy had hoped it would be. He only wished he could stay longer, but the last thing he needed was Malcolm's suspicions when Oliver wasn't showing he was alive.

 _I wonder when I started thinking of him as 'Malcolm'._

It had been a subtle process of slowly thinking of the man who had raised him as the monster he really was. The night of the original Undertaking had definitely expedited the process, but this time around, having woken up in a hospital bed one year after Oliver had disappeared after meeting with someone who just called himself the Messenger, he had hoped his father would be different.

Long story short, he wasn't. The stories of a man in a black hood executing prevalent businessmen with black arrows meant that his father in this world might actually be even worse.

Tommy stopped the car in the parking garage of his apartment and sighed. He turned off the ignition and simply sat there in silence, mulling over how crazy his life had become since Oliver had returned the first time.

First, he had had absolute joy. His best friend was back, and with his blessing he had pursued Laurel for the relationship he had always wanted.

Then, his father began to show his true colors by cutting him off with absolutely no warning. He still got embarrassed when he remembered how Laurel had to pay for his dinner that night. Although he understood the reasoning later and even slightly appreciated the 'kick in his lazy ass', it still was crazy at the time.

From there, his life only got better. He ran a club, moved in with Laurel, and got to truly understand the man Oliver had become.

Then his father was shot and Oliver revealed he was the vigilante.

From there it all went downhill. He couldn't put together the fact that his best friend, the one he used to spend all hours of the day partying and having fun together, was able to kill people. His jealousy had spread to his relationship with Laurel and eventually ended it.

Then the Undertaking happened, and he died. At least, he was supposed to. When he had been confronted by the Messenger, he had been confused at how vast the multiverse ( _still can't wrap my head around that one_ ) truly was, with magic, time travel, and aliens.

However, when he realized he had the chance to start over and be the good man he knew he could be, he immediately accepted, choosing a Tommy that had already lost his Oliver to spare himself some of the pain.

He had hoped that he would be able to pick a world where his mother never died, but apparently that was the only constant across all the multiverse. If his mother's death hadn't made him sad before, that left him completely depressed.

Then he had spent a night at Laurel's house (they had agreed to remain platonic; it had taken him a while to get over it, but with Olivia around this time it was understandable). He had made some dumb remark about _Twilight_ like he had with Oliver the first time. The only problem is that the saga hadn't become a saga yet, and Laurel knew it.

He had thought she would think him crazy when he explained the multiverse, but then she told him the last thing he had expected to hear; she was the Laurel from his Earth.

The hug they had afterwards lasted so long they fell asleep like that.

Then they had gotten serious the next day. With the Dark Archer running around with the face of his father, they knew that the Undertaking was inevitable. The only problem was a major one: they didn't know if Oliver was alive, or even where he was. Laurel knew that he hadn't spent the entire five years on the island, but she never learned more.

They had decided to let Oliver's time away take its proper course, since for the most part things had been the same before they had arrived. The only thing different was the poisoning attempt that had allowed Laurel to enter this Earth (Tommy had a sinking suspicion who was behind that; he only hoped he was wrong) and Oliver being faithful. Tommy had even opened Verdant in Oliver's memory to kickstart his original responsibilities.

This time around, though, they both were proactive. Against his wishes, she had contacted someone she claimed to be trustworthy named Cisco Ramon, a scientist based out of Central City. Apparently, even without an identity or a reason behind it, throwing in the word 'superhero' and the proper measurements made him jump at the chance to make a costume for Laurel to go out as the Black Canary.

He had tried to stop her. Both him and her father, who had realized who she was when she let her identity slip after he almost caught her, had tried to get her to stop this fools mission of hers, but she was dead set on protecting the people of the city she loved so much.

Naturally, he did the only two things he really could in that situation.

First, he had joined Laurel's mission in the only capacity he previously trusted himself as, behind the scenes, and took the name Oracle (he had jokingly suggested the name Overwatch, and Laurel explained the story behind it after she nearly gagged). He had met with Cisco, who actually was a pretty chill dude in hindsight, who had been teaching him how to properly hack and manage his vigilante operations.

It had been rough at first, but under the scientist's tutelage he got much better very quickly. It made him think of school and how he had done fairly well when he bothered to show up.

At least once a month, Cisco and Tommy had met to increase his skills and maintain the lair that they had established under Verdant like before. Every time, Cisco had gone into what he liked to call 'fanboy' mode and gushed over every single piece of equipment the two of them could acquire, especially her staff and sonic device. Laurel had even finally revealed her identity to him at one point, which only made him go even crazier.

She had also been going to a gym with someone named Ted Grant. Apparently, that was who trained her the first time (minus someone named Nyssa that he was told not to question). It hadn't taken long for Ted to realize that Laurel was the Black Canary, but he had surprised Tommy by revealing that he had used to be a vigilante.

Now, after some coaxing on Laurel's part, she had a field partner in Wildcat, a tech aide in Cisco and Oracle, and a police informant in the Detective all in the span of five months. All of them were not only dealing with street crime on a nightly basis, but trying to find any evidence or method to take down Malcolm Merlyn and stop the dreaded Undertaking.

On the plus side, this mission of hers had led them to learn that Thea was a great babysitter.

The five person vigilante team had criminals starting to run in fear within the year. The fact that it was Laurel Lance, Tommy Merlyn, Quentin Lance, Ted Grant, and Cisco Ramon that was making this large difference made him want to scoff every time he thought about it. The people of the city were almost completely on their side, but the police department had yet to accept them.

Unfortunately, without Oliver's original List, they had no way to truly combat the Undertaking. They had been able to go after the ones that Laurel remembered trying to take down at CNRI, like Adam Hunt, but the ones they couldn't remember they had to figure out on their own. Against Laurel's wishes, he had done the only other thing he truly could at the time.

He had joined Tempest.

Over the course of about three months, he had subtly hinted to his father that he wished to destroy the Glades as well, viewing it as a stain on the map that couldn't be healed. His father had become an entirely different person when he realized that, and suddenly Tommy went from being the man's distant colleague to being his son again.

He hated every second of it. If it took a mission to kill thousands of innocents and destroy a large chunk of the city, he never wanted Malcolm to view him as a son.

Joining the group had inevitably meant that he had joined Merlyn Global as well in the same position as before. His job was to protect Tempest's interests while claiming to work closely with his father (it wasn't technically wrong), periodically vetting their members and informing him whenever someone acted out of line.

He would spend almost every night watching the news for any black arrows.

At that point, he had thought his life couldn't get any weirder. His best friend was somewhere in the world doing God knows what and his other best friend was a vigilante that he aided at night to help protect the city from crime.

The only other people he knew were Laurel's father (the two of them were getting surprisingly close; Laurel almost couldn't believe it), Thea (he still had no idea what to do about the whole half-sibling thing), Oliver's mom (he was starting to understand why she would lie like she did), an old gym trainer, and Cisco, a Central City scientist.

Then his life got weirder the one time he decided to take a vacation.

Him and Laurel had gone to Central City to visit and surprise Cisco, but when he turned out to be busy, they visited her mother instead. Tensions were high the whole time, but they made it out unscathed.

They didn't make it much further than that.

They got pulled into an alleyway on the way there. Laurel had tried to fight back, but with Tommy in the mix and the need to protect her secret identity, there wasn't much she could do. The seven or eight thugs had made it clear what they wanted was from her and her alone and started beating him up.

Then there was an explosion in the distance and a wave of _something_ threw them all back.

Laurel had been screaming when the wave of _whatever the hell that was_ hit them both and got sent flying back into a wall. She had been knocked out immediately. Tommy had been filled with a rage he had never felt before and fought back against the attackers with a precision that he hadn't had before.

Whereas before he had been blindly hitting anything he could just to get out, this time the world seemed to slow. He was able to see everything they were gonna do, seemingly before they could do it. He could sense exactly where to strike to take down these drunken thugs before they could even get a hit in.

To him the fight lasted several minutes, but in reality the fight was over in 30 seconds.

Thankfully, Laurel managed to recover in the hospital, but when she woke up she accidentally unleashed a scream almost exactly like the one she used as Black Canary. She almost took down the entire building before he and her father were able to calm her down.

Eventually, Cisco came to visit her and revealed what happened (he was on orders from a Dr. Wells to keep it secret, but evidently said 'screw it'): the Particle Accelerator STAR labs had been building had been rushed recently in a desire to turn it on in secret. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong and it had exploded, sending dark matter throughout Central City and beyond.

By this point, Tommy knew Laurel like he knew his own name, and he immediately knew that this was something that had happened the first time. Whatever this was, though, had clearly happened much earlier than before if he didn't know anything about it.

After all other guests had left, Laurel explained that nine months the Particle Accelerator exploded, one of their allies, some forensic scientist named Barry Allen, woke up from a coma after getting struck by lightning and used his powers of super speed to become a superhero. Nothing was ever the same after that, as other 'metahumans' started making themselves known and causing chaos.

The only problem was that the Accelerator didn't explode until Oliver's second year back (the _six months after you died_ part was mutually left unsaid), so the fact that it exploded early meant they had somehow caused a drastic change in the timeline. Cisco's comment that Dr. Wells wanted to rush it only made Laurel more nervous. Tommy didn't get it until she explained who Wells really was.

So now, their science friend was going to get roped into being on another superhero team that was working under said superhero's greatest enemy. The plus side, though, was that Cisco eventually became a superhero in his own right, so Tommy grudgingly stayed out of it.

When he eventually got back to Star City and had a meeting with his father, though, things got even weirder. It was a morning meeting, so he had brought a mug of coffee with him. When he went to leave, he knocked it over and sent it off the desk, but he managed to duck and catch it with reflexes that surprised him. They surprised Malcolm too, since he seemed to give him a calculating look as he left the room.

The next day, he got called into the office again, and Malcolm surprised him by throwing a punch at him. Tommy somehow managed to deflect the punch and instinctually went for another one, managing to get his father directly in the jaw.

He assumed that he had been found out and got in a defensive stance that he didn't know how he knew, but then he only got even more nervous when Malcolm started _laughing_. The thing that made it weird was that it was genuine, like the laugh he had before mom died when he would do magic tricks with him. He was actually happy.

Eventually, through a long roundabout discussion that was spoken mostly in riddles, Malcolm explained that the Accelerator matter he got hit with somehow gave him extremely effective combat reflexes that allowed him to identify target's weaknesses, at least with hand to hand, and that he was now going to be trained with methods similar to what he endured.

It would be the father-son experience he never expected or wanted. Becoming an assassin had never exactly been on his list of priorities.

Over the next three years, unknown to any other members of either Laurel's team or Flash's team (turned out that Barry Allen, Caitlin Snow, Joe West, Wally West, Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein, Jefferson Jackson, and Eddie Thawne were basically the epitomes of heroism and worked great together, even if all their superpowers were kinda terrifying) he began training under the League of Assassins methods. He hated and loved every second of it.

On one hand, it was a lot of hard work and time spent with his father, which was torture in its own right, but he did learn to wield a bow and a sword, plus how to perfect his powers, which was basically tactical analysis to the logical extreme. In a single second, he could analyze all features and variables of a situation like weak points and plot a plan to execute. A perfect power for someone who needs hand to hand training but also works behind the scenes.

He had also taken the time to figure out a way to use his powers in his combat in a way that a bow simply couldn't do. Targets moved, no matter how good you were. He needed a projectile that could move with them and still hit his targets weak points or his powers would go crazy trying to correct his movements. Away from his father, he had started using throwing stars to correct that problem.

In essence, in four years, he went from a billionaire playboy to a vigilante that helps run an operation from underneath his own club. He worked with his best friend, an old trainer, and a police detective. Their only friends were superheroes from another city that called them for help every so often (usually because other speedsters apparently refused to leave Barry alone and Laurel's scream usually caught them off guard).

Aside from his father trying to destroy a good part of the city, his life was basically perfect.

He stepped out of his car and followed the monotonous path back to his modest (at least when compared to before) apartment. He stepped inside and went straight to the fridge to pull out a beer, taking a long swig while going straight to his bedroom. He opened the door and went to the closet, turning the light switch in a precisely timed combination.

At once, the fake wall in the back of the closet folded to the sides to reveal his crown jewel.

He had grown tired of his superpowers and training being wasted. Sure, he could use his tactics as Oracle, but he had grown thirsty for a little live combat ever since he had started training with Malcolm. So, he had built himself a suit.

The suit that looked like Death incarnate in front of him only emphasized the message he was trying to send. Even looking at it empty gave Tommy chills and he made the damn thing. The mask, the all black, the general fierceness of what he was looking at made him swell with pride and anxiousness.

Learning from watching Cisco hadn't been hard at all. In only two months of sporadic working, he had managed to make a suit that Malcolm would've been proud of. In the end, no matter how heroic an image Laurel was creating, he was hoping to be a force in the darkness, operating from the shadows and scaring criminals out of business like Oliver first was.

He'd even decided on a name for himself. After all, he was taking power from the criminal element that had held it for as long as he could remember.

What better name than Prometheus?

* * *

 **I'm sorry if this chapter seemed kinda rushed, but this was only about the timeline and differences between the original world and this one. And yes, the Team Flash list is weird, but it will be explained later.**


	4. Success

Oliver could wake up next to Laurel like this every day for the rest of his life and it wouldn't be enough.

The two were facing each other, allowing him to stare at her as she slept peacefully, complete with a small smile on her face. Just the thought of her laying there combined with the thought that their daughter, their beautiful, perfect daughter, was just one room over made him happier than he'd been at any point after his first return.

He knew that today wouldn't be a relaxing day, though. Laurel had yet to catch him up on any changes from his world to the new one, but he knew it would have to be drastic if Tommy had gone to work with his father. After his previous experience with the Undertaking, Oliver would've been surprised if Tommy was willing to poke his father with a 10,000 foot pole.

Oliver was startled from his thoughts by a knock on the door just before the door opened. In an instant, he had to put his guard down as Olivia ran into the room and screamed before jumping on the bed right between them, making the bed buckle and waking Laurel up.

Laurel quickly grabbed her and started tickling her, making Olivia thrash in her arms as she started laughing. Oliver was quick to jump into the mix as well, tickling her in the spots that Laurel couldn't quite reach while holding her. It was so instinctual that he didn't even realize he was doing it at first.

He almost pulled away at that thought, but seeing the look on both of their faces, the pure joy, made him pull them into a hug instead. It was awkward, but it was perfect anyway. He was perfectly fine with making his problems wait for a little while.

* * *

Now was the moment of truth. The singular meeting that would tell Tommy whether or not he was successful in his mission.

He had gone out as Prometheus for the first time last night, and it had been invigorating. The pure adrenaline from being in a pure fight to the death and not a spar with his father was more intoxicating than literal alcohol. It also helped that his target was someone that he'd wanted to meet for a long time.

Daniel Brickwell, commonly known as Brick.

Laurel had caved after Brick started rising to power in the Glades. Apparently, in the original world, Brick had basically took over the Glades, and that was when they learned that Brick killed his mother. Laurel had tried to go after him on her own, but he managed to get away after leaving her bleeding in the street. They considered calling Flash and his team this time around, but they had been busy trying to keep Barry's girlfriend from being killed by some speedster named Savitar.

Thus, Tommy had decided to try his luck and had gone after him alone. Not only did he do a great thing by preventing that uprising, but he had finally gotten justice for his mother and left a note for Quentin explaining Prometheus's goal along with the gun he needed to link the murder to Brick.

He had never felt better. The only issue now was hoping that Malcolm didn't realize who had done the deed.

Tommy walked out of the elevator on the top floor, coffee in hand, ready for the usual Monday morning meeting.

 _The suit felt perfect on him, like a second skin he never knew he needed. As he sprinted from rooftop to rooftop towards the warehouse where Brick currently stayed, he felt his adrenaline slowly rise. He forced it down; if his adrenaline spiked too soon, his powers would activate and he'd be stuck in hyperawareness until he could calm himself down._

He gave a nod to Erika the secretary as he entered his father's office. Malcolm was standing behind the desk, looking at the newspaper. By the look on his face, he was reading an article about Brick's apprehension by a mysterious new vigilante calling himself Prometheus. Malcolm gave him a look and a genuine smile as he walked in.

 _The warehouse was discreet. Brick certainly knew how to keep himself hidden from the authorities that he didn't bribe. There were no windows and only one door, so if he had a security system it was easy to track who came in and out. He certainly wouldn't expect someone to have explosives to enter through the roof, at least._

Tommy sat his coffee down on the desk and gave his father a questioning glance. Malcolm quickly started talking: "Tommy, long ago I thought I had killed the man who murdered your mother. Well, it appears I was proven wrong."

 _Compared to the spars with his father, the thugs in the warehouse were nothing at all. He landed on one when he entered through the roof, immediately threw a throwing star at the two thugs in front of him and got them both at once, pulling out his sword and swinging behind him to get the thug that tried to sneak up on him._

He pretended to look shocked at the news. Tommy already knew that Malcolm had killed someone before joining the League, he had just never heard specifics. "What does that mean? Did the bastard get caught?"

Malcolm's smile sent a chill up his spine, even almost triggering his powers on complete reflex.

 _Brick was arrogant and foolish. His tough bones were an obstacle, but one that didn't deter him for long. The fact that he could break the skin was all he needed._

 _After all, just because Brick's bones couldn't break didn't mean his muscles were safe._

 _Two throwing stars and sword swings later, Brick had slices on his wrists and ankles. He laughed like he was still in control, but that didn't last long when he realized that he couldn't stand up. All of a sudden, Brick was looking nervous._

Malcolm came around the desk and patted Tommy on the shoulder in a way that Tommy knew he would've given anything to feel before the Undertaking. "Yes, Tommy. Justice has finally come for that monster. He's never going to see the light of day ever again."

 _After all these years, his mother's killer went down that easily? Tommy was almost disappointed. "You may be tough, but you're still human. I hope you like prison, cause that's all you have for the next 25 to life."_

 _With three strikes to the head, Brick was unconscious on the warehouse floor._

Tommy kept up the act and hugged his father. Malcolm eagerly reciprocated and hugged his son, both having rare moments of emotion in front of the other. For a second, Tommy almost forgot the monster his father was.

 _He quickly wrote the note to Detective Lance, making sure to say that he was on their side. Lance might not believe him, but it was better than nothing._

 _He looked back at Brick, lying on the floor unconscious. For a brief moment, he felt like going further. Killing Brick before he could get arrested, finally getting justice for his mother._

 _He shook his head, terrified that he even thought of that. It was that vengeance that led to the Undertaking in the first place, and he would never be like his father. Before he could change his mind again, he caused a small explosion to get the police's attention and fled the warehouse._

Malcolm let go of him and walked back behind the desk, ready to go back to work like the emotionless workaholic he was. Tommy cleared his throat. "So, uh, who caught him? Black Canary? Wildcat? The Flash?"

Malcolm didn't even flinch at the mention of the heroes. Both had openly admitted that the vigilantes were accomplishing more than the police ever did. "No. Apparently, there's a new vigilante in town. Someone calling themselves 'Prometheus'."

He kept up the act as best as he could. "A new player? Where'd he come from?"

Malcolm reached into his desk and pulled out a small file. It was a file of all the information he could gather on the heroes that had popped up in the past three years. The only identity he'd completely uncovered was Barry's, but their separate cities stopped Malcolm from going after him. Luckily, Lance and and Joe West were perfectly willing to falsify witness statements to throw Malcolm off as much as possible, otherwise Laurel wouldn't have lasted long at all.

He opened the file and grabbed a blank piece of paper, with nothing but the word Prometheus written across the top. "No idea. He clearly has League training, hence his sword skills, but throwing stars are not a normal League weapon. Whoever this person is, they must have been a member of the League but managed to get away from Ra's to continue their training. I didn't even think that was possible. This person must be a deadly threat. Brick never stood a chance."

He looked at his son. "You might not stand a chance against him either. I need you to promise me that if you somehow encounter this person, this vigilante, you will get away from him by any means necessary." Tommy's heart leapt to his throat; Malcolm didn't suspect him. "You're training is strong, but minimal. I can't lose you, Tommy. Not after everything else I've lost."

Tommy bit back his immediate retort of Pretty easy, considering you've killed me before, and instead gave a shaky nod like the concerned child in front of his menacing father. Malcolm bought it and gave him a strong hug, one that Tommy only returned to keep his cover. The thought that the man he was hugging, his father, was someone he detested being so close to almost made him cry real tears.

* * *

Laurel was driving Olivia to school and Tommy had a meeting with Malcolm, giving Oliver the time he needed to decide how he was going to explain everything that had happened after their deaths. He assumed that Laurel filled him in up to her death, but explaining Genesis, Prometheus, Cayden James, and Ricardo Diaz would be tough.

To put it shortly, he was not looking forward to any of it. Tommy-X in particular would be difficult to get through.

He was also not looking forward to hearing all of the changes this world had. He couldn't help but notice that Sara and Dinah weren't around the previous night, making him wonder where they were, and he had no idea if his father still being alive had changed anything at home.

Tommy's car pulled up to the apartment building, so he didn't have much time to prepare himself before getting to hear all of the differences created by hopping universes. He managed to calm himself down, but thinking about the fact that he was literally universes away from where he was born still made his head swim.

In far too little time, there was a knock at the door. Out of paranoia, he still checked the peephole to make sure Laurel wasn't being attacked again and saw that it was Tommy, so he opened the door and looked his best friend in the eye for the first time in five years.

Yesterday had been in passing. Not only had he not been there long, but he had thought that Tommy was a stranger he'd have to get to know again. Sure, the universes weren't supposed to be that different, but it was still a completely different universe. If there was one thing that Barry had taught him, a lot could change with only minor interference. Such was the strength of the butterfly effect.

But what little he'd seen of him had left little doubt. Even before he knew this was his Tommy, this was still the Tommy Merlyn he knew and loved. Not the fabrication wearing his face like Tommy-X.

Oliver ushered him inside so he could shut the door behind them before grabbing him in a bear hug that Tommy eagerly reciprocated. Oliver had a brief flashback to reuniting with Tommy the first time due to the fierceness, but he shook that thought off. No point in dwelling in memories he didn't already have to relive.

Although the two of them took a few seconds to stay where they were, eventually they both pulled away. Neither of them had any idea what to say to the other, both of them having a thousand thoughts flowing through their minds, but eventually Oliver broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. It should've-"

Tommy cut him off immediately. "Don't you dare. Were you the one who decided to destroy part of the city? No. You weren't. And it's not like you could do anything about a building falling on top of me. I made my choice and I don't regret it."

Oliver managed to keep his face calm, but on the inside a huge weight he didn't even realize was there had lifted off of his shoulders. He obviously knew that Tommy's death was something that he carried with him, but he didn't think it had effected him as deeply as it did.

Regardless, he kept his stony face and forced down his emotions. It wouldn't be good to get too wrapped up in his thoughts when he still had to hear what had changed between his world and the new one.

Tommy could see the worry in Oliver's eyes and figured what it was. "You still need to hear what's different, don't you." It wasn't phrased as a question, but Oliver nodded anyways. Tommy only sighed, which was not a good sign. Regardless, both Tommy and Oliver needed to get it over with, so they both sat down in Laurel's living room, sitting across from each other like old times, ready to discuss timeline differences between parallel universes.

Oliver was already getting a headache


	5. The Failures of the Past

Tommy had to take a moment to decide where to start. Should he start small with their families or go big and tell him about Laurel and the Particle Accelerator?

Should he talk about his own powers?

Either route involved a lot of questions, but he finally decided what Oliver wanted to hear most was his family. Luckily, it was simple to explain.

Tommy cleared his throat. "Your father's alive." Those three words made Oliver seem to melt into the couch in relief, though something told Tommy that he knew that already. If Oliver's post-death experience was like his, then he definitely knew already. "Because of that, Thea never had her drug problem, so she's actually doing really well. Can't really hold a normal job like waitressing because of her take-no-shit attitude, but she's taking some odd jobs like babysitting and stuff like that. Laurel and I see her for that all the time."

With each word, Oliver looked more and more relaxed. Although a part of Tommy envied him for getting everything he wanted, he had long accepted his parent's predestined fates. Visibly holding back tears, Oliver asked, "And my mother?"

Tommy sighed. "Same as before, except with Robert there to keep her grounded she's even more fierce than she was already. Your dad still runs Queen Consolidated so she mostly stays at home, but Thea's been saying that she's been considering running for mayor like she did your second year back."

Oliver sighed in relief, but he still had to ask. "And their involvement with Malcolm?" At Tommy's surprised look, he elaborated. "I chose this world because they weren't willing participants in the Undertaking. How have they been doing? Do you know?"

Tommy sighed again. "Yeah, I know. They're both damn good actors. I don't know specifics, but I assume Malcolm is using your death to get them to cooperate. Threatening Thea like he did before. If I didn't know them as well as I do, I'd think they were fully onboard. Malcolm may have control over them, but they're still playing him like a fiddle."

Exactly as Oliver expected then, but that didn't mean it wasn't an absolute relief to hear. He put his head in his hands, taking a moment to let it sink in.

His father was alive.

His mother was alive.

His sister was doing better than she ever was before.

If he hadn't already spent a night in this universe, he would've thought it was too good to come true. Hell, a part of him still thought it was, waiting for him to wake up in a hospital bed somewhere after-

All of a sudden, he was back.

* * *

 _It had been a normal day in the Mayor's office, but considering who the Mayor was, nothing was ever truly normal in there._

 _Between his rapidly fracturing team, Diaz making moves in his rise to power, and the ever aggravating investigation into the Green Arrow, his life was steadily crashing into the ground. The only solace was William, his amazingly brave son, making sure they could talk every night when he came home at night pretending to be normal. It was a strong solace, but the only one nonetheless._

 _Then, out of nowhere, Diggle and Quentin came into the room._

 _Quentin was no surprise, he worked for Oliver in both of his lives after all, but Diggle was a big surprise. Instinctively, he got up to defend himself in case he attacked again, but Quentin put his hands up. "Woah there, I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but I promise you're on the same side right now."_

 _Diggle nodded, albeit seemingly reluctantly, so Oliver relaxed but didn't sit back down. "Why are you here, then? You made your stance very clear before."_

 _Diggle cleared his throat, taking a moment to consider his words before speaking like he always did. "Listen, Oliver, I know you can't forgive me yet, but I am sorry. Fighting you like I did over the Hood was just stupid. I don't regret leaving, but the things I said and did to do that were not the right way. Truce?"_

 _He was reaching his hand out to shake, so Oliver took a moment before shaking back, staring him in the eyes the whole time. "I understand it took a lot to swallow your pride like that, and I do respect your decision to leave. But you're right, I can't forgive you for everything yet."_

 _Diggle nodded before Quentin spoke back up. "Nice job you two, but we have bigger problems on our hands. You're about to be under attack."_

 _Oliver tensed up again in alarm. "What? What do you mean 'under attack'?"_

 _Diggle spoke up again. "He means it literally. Diaz's forces are rallying for a full assault on City Hall to box you in a corner. You could fight back, but it'll be a slam dunk on the investigation, or you could not and hope that those guys are feeling merciful today."_

 _Oliver shook his head. "They won't. Damnit, I may not have a choice. Who told you about this anyway?"_

 _At that point, the window behind him shattered as a familiar but once again unexpected figure jumped through it._

 _Rene, clad in full Wild Dog armor._

 _Despite all the red on his armor, though, it was easy to spot the excess blood on the suit. Clearly not from the window._

 _He stood up shakily, seeming more dazed then even a jump through a window would cause. Diggle only pointed and said "him."_

 _Rene took off the helmet to show his face, again with an excess amount of blood on it and no wound on his head to explain it. "I don't have time to explain, but she's gone crazy. She's already killed Curtis, and Zoe..." He grabbed his head again, muttering to himself. "God, there was so much blood..."_

 _Although not fazed by Rene jumping through the window, the news of Curtis and Zoe shocked Oliver. Ever since Rene betrayed him he had limited sympathy for him, but to experience his daughter's death (clearly from close by if the blood was any indication), not to mention the death of his good friend, was a pain he didn't want to imagine._

 _Before he could respond, Rene shook himself out of his stupor. "Hoss, I know you probably hate my guts, but if we don't stick together on this one we're both gonna die and I have a daughter to aven-" For the third time in as many sentences, his voice gave out before he could finish. This must've happened recently._

 _Oliver walked over to the grieving father, grabbing him by the shoulders to bring him back to reality. "Rene, I know this must be horrifying, but we still have a fight on our hands. Who's leading it? Who'd you mean when you said 'she's gone crazy'?"_

 _Unfortunately for all four of them, before he could respond, gunfire began resounding down the hall._

 _Forced out of the second flashback by the sudden noise, he looked up with a sweat line on his forehead at Tommy, who had just clapped to get his attention. "Oliver? You spaced out on me. You okay?"_

 _Oliver shook his head, not bothering to hide it. "I had a flashback. I was in the Mayor's office, and Diggle, Quentin, and Rene were there. I think I was attacked in the Mayor's office." He looked up at Tommy, who was more confused then he'd ever been in his life. "I think I'm flashing back to my death."_

* * *

As Robert helped Thea get dropped off at school and began the usual drive to Queen Consolidated, he managed to keep his thoughts off of Malcolm and his Undertaking like he always somehow did.

As his driver parked in front of the building to let him out, his focus was only on the employees around him, making sure to nod at all of them as he walked in the front door like any average worker would.

As he got in the only elevator that went up to the top floor, he was even managing to work out which meetings he would be able to make and which ones he'd have to send Walter to in his stead.

The moment he entered his office and sat at the desk, though, all he could think of was Merlyn and his damn plan.

Ever since the Gambit went down and took Oliver with it, Merlyn had never let him think of anything else. Between admitting he sunk the ship and threatening his only remaining child with the same fate as his son, his life became Undertaking and nothing else.

Thank God Malcolm tended to only use him for matters involving other companies and left him out of the personal stuff he had his enforcer deal with. Because of that, his wife was left almost completely unscathed as well.

After what he'd done to others in the past, he was fully willing to take all of the pain that came with this if it meant his family came out alive on the other side.

To say that Robert had been shocked to hear that the Gambit went down would be an understatement. Not just because his precious son was on the boat, no, that was only the tip of the painful iceberg.

Because he was going to be on it and changed his mind the night before.

It had only taken a little bit of thought. After all, sure Chen had his reasons to want out, but to have the courage to actually go through with it was something else. Chen was selfish and cowardly, plain and simple, and that was something he couldn't bank on with Malcolm in the mix.

So he made clear to Chen that he had cancelled the trip. He was going to somehow follow his wife's advice and get out, but boating to China was too risky with a coward like Chen.

The only problem was when he got a call the next morning from his captain back to back with a call from his son.

The captain may have commanded the boat, but Robert commanded his paycheck, so when Oliver apparently showed up at the dock the next day eager for a boat ride and bribed the captain to make it happen, he called Robert first. Robert couldn't help but be amused at Oliver this time, since he had only told Moira and Chen about the boat. How Oliver found out some of the things he did was a mystery and it made him chuckle.

Robert only figured "why not?" Why would Malcolm target the boat if he wasn't on it? Oliver at least had the guts to admit that he'd been kicked out of another college before he left, and he had promised that he wasn't cheating on Laurel this time (Oliver had admittedly cleaned up his act recently, so it was much more believable than it would have been years ago), so he let the captain take the boat out without him.

Then Malcolm showed just how far gone he was.

Any bit of the man Rebecca had loved so dearly disappeared with the boat.

He had no reason to kill Oliver. None. As far as he knew, he was already on Malcolm's side, and yet he had to make the kind of monster they were dealing with very clear.

The words were still fresh from his funeral. "I'm sorry I had to take him from you." Like he had no choice.

He still wanted to vomit any time he thought about it. His best friend, the man who made him godfather of his son, the godfather of his own son, talking about killing his son as though he had no other goddamn choice.

That day, that moment, he had made a promise to Oliver. He may not have known the true kind of man Robert was, but continuing his work the way he did before felt like a betrayal to his son and like he was submitting to Merlyn's will. He was going to be the kind of man Oliver always thought he was, no matter what he had to do.

It started off small. Little things like entering through the front door instead of taking the service elevator in the back directly to the main office. He made a point to meet all of the rotating security team out front, talking with them on a daily basis and learning all their names. It seemed a little arduous at first, but after a while, it became a very fulfilling experience to walk through the door and be greeted by familiar faces smiling at him asking how he was doing like they actually cared.

Then, he had reviewed the wages of everyone in the company. It was a long process, but after the amount of people he had short-changed in the past, they all deserved the possible second chance.

For the most part, wages were actually (surprisingly, even to him) acceptable, everyone always earning what he knew to be above average for other companies. Maybe Walter had gotten through to him more than he thought. The only exception was the IT department, where the divide from how much the supervisor and his workers made (combined with recent complaints from multiple IT workers against said supervisor) made him decide to lessen his wage and spread it across the department. The joy in everyone's face at that move made him wonder why he'd been so selfish in the past.

Then, things had gotten big. He and Walter had looked through a list of people who had been fired through means that were his fault, such as outsourcing and so-called "budget cuts", who were still unemployed or employed in dead-end jobs. The list had been long, taking days to go through, but in the end, he had managed to reach out to all of them either through emails or calls asking them all to come in to discuss re-employment.

The process took months and obviously not everyone cooperated, but in the end, he had managed to secure jobs for all of them, whether they were with him or other high-end companies he knew were fair, ensuring they did not suffer more for his actions and lies. He'd even managed to get help from Laurel for that, both in terms of negotiating a fair wage for all of them that wouldn't send the company into bankruptcy and also giving a friendly face to the workers coming in instead of the face all of them rightfully hated.

He still remembered the one that tried to jump him with a knife at first before she managed to talk him down. He may have been a construction worker before, but Derek Reston ended up making a damn fine security guard, having stopped an attempt on his life from within the lobby in an ironic twist of fate. Since then, Robert had even invited Reston's family for dinner at the manor multiple times. He particularly liked his son Kyle, a boy with a fire under his feet like no other. He reminded him of Oliver in that respect.

The final big change (at least for at that moment, Robert was always hoping to do more) was the change to his interview process, as he made sure to personally meet with anyone that made it through the first interview. Give them a face to the name Queen they could say they met, plus it added the personal touch Robert always wanted to have. Everyone in the building was, in some way, hired by him, whether directly or through recommendation.

If only the change to a good person had not required his son to die, then maybe he could be even more proud. As it was, he had to settle for hoping that Oliver was somewhere better, looking over him with a smile at his progress.

As it stood, he got to his office, ready for a normal day of work. Before he even hit the chair, though, his cell phone started ringing.

Pulling out his phone, Robert realized it was Laurel calling and eagerly answered. "Laurel! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Robert could hear Laurel's smile. "Hello, Robert. How are you doing?"

Laurel definitely wanted something. He could hear it in her voice. He decided to indulge her, though. "Well, the day hasn't truly started yet, but so far I'm alright. How are you? How's my granddaughter?"

Laurel laughed. "She and I are doing fine, thank you. There is something I need to ask you, though."

"Anything, Laurel. What do you need?"

Laurel hesitated, something almost nonexistent with her. "I need you, Thea, and Moira to meet me at the mansion tonight at about 7:00. There's something all of you need to know."

Robert laughed, keeping his composure. "Laurel, that sounds very ominous. Is everything alright?"

Laurel hesitated again, but this time it was almost in a wistful manner when she spoke again. "Everything is fantastic, Robert. It's good news, I promise."

Robert laughed again, this time more subdued but with a weight off his shoulders. "Glad to hear it. I'll let them both know you're coming."

"Thank you Robert. I have to go, but we'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight, Laurel."

Robert hung up the phone and sat down at his desk, pushing the meeting tonight to the side for now. However, before he could truly immerse himself in his work, a stray thought came to mind.

Why did Laurel say "We'll see you tonight"? Who else is with her?

Assuming that she meant Olivia, he shrugged it off and got to work, immediately picking up the phone to tell Walter which meetings he had to take.

* * *

Tommy only took one moment to digest Oliver's outburst about his death before talking. "Okay, look, that may be the most confusing thing I've ever heard in my life, so don't even try to explain it. We'll get to that when Laurel gets back."

Oliver nodded, still clearly in shock over what he just saw. Tommy didn't blame him; when he first remembered his previous death, he'd gone into full on shock and Laurel had had to sit with him for a full hour until he calmed down.

Taking advantage of the silence, Tommy had one other thing to say. "Oliver, there are a few other things I gotta tell you, though. Things you should hear sooner rather than later."

Oliver looked up, clearly worried due to the ominous tone. Tommy trudged on. "First things first, I guess. Laurel started your crusade without you."

If nothing before had gotten his attention, that certainly did. Oliver sat up with his 'Hood' mask in place. "Say that again?"

Tommy cleared his throat, figuring he might as well get it all out at once. "The Particle Accelerator exploded way earlier than it was supposed to. It happened three years ago this time. Laurel had already been the Black Canary before that with Cisco's help, but she got powers identical to her scream from the Accelerator. Since then, she, Ted Grant, Quentin and I have been a team going after the same people you did your first year back. Team Flash's timeline has also been moved up. We don't know what will happen next, but last year they fought some guy named Savitar. Ring any bells?"

Oliver nodded, barely comprehending everything that he was hearing.

"Plus, since Laurel and Wildcat interfered, the team had a bit of a shakeup compared to normal. Not gonna go into detail cause Laurel knows more than I do, but yeah. They're effected too. So, Laurel's been the Black Canary for almost four years now, Quentin is basically the same as he was in your team, Wildcat is your Diggle, and I'm Felicity." Oliver looked even more surprised at that, making Tommy chuckle. "Figured I should help out somehow, so Cisco taught me how to hack. The four of us have been making criminals here piss their pants for a while now."

Oliver put his head in his hands, taking a moment to compartmentalize everything he'd heard into a few points.

1: The team had been active for three years, consisting of Laurel, Ted Grant, Lance, and Tommy.

2: The Particle Accelerator had exploded early and given Laurel powers identical to her other-earth counterparts.

3: Team Flash had different members than before, but at the very least they still had Cisco.

4: Tommy knew how to hack.

After the brief moment to comprehend everything, he nodded, successfully digesting the information with only a minor migraine.

Of course, Tommy had to burst the bubble. "Ollie, there's something else you should hear. I got hit by the Accelerator too."

Oliver's head shot up again, but he remained silent. Whatever Tommy was going to say, he was clearly having trouble getting it out and they still had a few minutes before Laurel would get back, so he let Tommy take his time.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Tommy spoke up again. "Laurel doesn't know. I'm gonna tell her today, but if I told her without you here she would've killed me." He took a moment to chuckle. "The Accelerator gave me enhanced combat reflexes and perception. I get in a fight, time slows to a standstill and I just... know what to do. I still don't fully understand how it works, but I've got it.

"Malcolm figured it out." Oliver stilled in fear, but noted that Tommy called him Malcolm and not Dad. "He's been training me in the traditional League style thinking that I'm on his side. It's been a rough couple years, to be honest. But I finally said fuck it and went after Danny Brickwell. Remember him?"

Oliver nodded, still haunted by the revolution in the Glades that he'd missed because of Ra's al Ghul. That brought up another round of fears at being reminded of his war with the League, but he shoved it down.

"I just figured I should tell you in case you hear about someone called Prometheus. That's me."

Oliver's brain had completely shut down upon hearing the word Prometheus. That word did not have any positive connotations to it, be it Adrian Chase or Tommy-X.

Then he heard the last part of what he said. "That's me."

Tommy is Prometheus.

That was the only thing his brain comprehended.

Luckily, he managed to keep some semblance of control of his attack reflexes, but only barely. "I'm sorry, say that again? You're calling yourself Prometheus?"

Tommy either missed Oliver's aggression or was trying desperately to keep the mood up. "Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool. I mean, Prometheus had his whole 'challenging the gods thing' and I'm fighting the 'criminal gods', I guess, but-"

Oliver had heard enough and got sucked in a flashback. All he understood was that Tommy was Prometheus.

For the second Universe in a row, Tommy was Prometheus. If Tommy-X was any indication, that could only mean one thing.

Tommy was not on his side.

In a moment of confusion, Oliver immediately jumped up and went to tackle him, intent on holding him down at least until Laurel could get there.

He barely made it halfway there before he remembered the mistake he'd made: enhanced combat reflexes.

With blinding speed, Tommy had thrown himself to the floor and kicked his legs around, hitting Oliver's and making him stumble. He caught himself without falling, and Tommy took the opportunity to get up and get away as far as he could without hitting a wall, holding his arms up in defense.

Oliver turned around and stared at Tommy, trying to discern any emotions from him. He didn't have to work hard; Tommy didn't seem afraid, but he was definitely confused.

"Oliver, I don't know what the hell you're doing, but I'm on your side! You know that! I'm the same Tommy you ran a club with, the same one that covered for you with the cops, the same one that died in the Undertaking! Whatever memory you're stuck in, snap out of it!"

Unfortunately, Oliver was in full Green Arrow mode, a mask forced into his instincts through eleven years of hell, betrayal, and nonstop fighting. Having identified Prometheus as an enemy, and after the performance Tommy-X had put on, he was not going to repeat the same mistake he'd made before.

Oliver lunged at Tommy, immediately throwing a feint to the right before swinging from the left. To his surprise, Tommy managed to flawlessly block his arm and redirect it away before spinning Oliver around and grabbing his arms behind his back. Oliver swung his head back to hit Tommy's, and while Tommy managed to dodge he lost his grip in the process and Oliver got away.

Oliver grabbed a knife from the nearby table, but before he could throw it, the front door opened.

Laurel walked inside, already cautious after all her previous home invasions, but what she saw inside confused her more than anything. First off, some of her furniture was destroyed, which either one of these destructive billionaires better pay for. Second, Oliver was about to throw at knife? At Tommy?!

Knowing that Oliver wouldn't even consider doing that if he was in his right mind, she shut her door as fast as possible and threw a small sonic device, similar to the one Sara had. Tommy covered his ears without a word, but with Oliver's single minded drive to attack, he didn't notice in time, so he got the full sonic blast.

Thank goodness she'd had to get her apartment soundproofed because of the baby, anyway. It made things much easier for her.

Oliver dropped the knife to cover his ears, but even before the sonic blast had ended, he locked eyes with her in shock. She'd hoped that Tommy would ease him into this, but this was definitely not what she intended.

When the blast finally ended, Oliver broke his eye contact with Laurel and looked at Tommy again. Tommy tried to stare back without flinching, but the look in his eyes made that impossible. He had no idea what was going on, but considering that he attacked the moment he said the word Prometheus, it was safe to assume what had happened.

Someone had called themselves Prometheus in his time, and that person had not been a friend.

With the dead silence, Tommy broke the silence with his characteristic smile.

"This isn't what it looks like?"

With the look Laurel gave him, he regretted that the second the words left his mouth.


End file.
